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com

POSITION TITLE: Front Office Manager / Front Desk Manager /

FOM
REPORTS TO: Assistant manager or General manager
POSITION SUMMARY:
Directly supervises all front office personnel and ensures
proper completion of all front office duties. Directs and
coordinates the activities of the front desk, reservations, guest
services, and telephone areas. Prepare monthly reports and
budget for front office department.
FRONT OFFICE MANAGER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Trains, cross –trains, and retrains all front office personnel.

2. Participates in the selection of front office personnel.

3. Schedules the front office staff.

4. Supervises workload during shifts.

5. Evaluates the job performance if each front office employee.

6. Maintains working relationships and communicates with all

departments.

7. Maintains master key control.

8. Verifies that accurate room status information is maintained

and properly communicated.

9. Resolves guest problems quickly, efficiently, and courteously.

10. Updates group information. Maintains, monitors, and

prepares group requirements. Relays information to
appropriate personnel.

11. Reviews and completes credit limit report.

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neupaneaksh@gmail.com

12. Works within the allocated budget for the front office.

13. Receives information from the previous shift manger and

passes on pertinent details to the oncoming manager.

14. Checks cashiers in and out and verifies banks and

deposits at the end of each shift.

15. Enforces all cash-handling, check-cashing, and credit

policies.

16. Conducts regularly scheduled meetings of front office

personnel.

17. Wears the proper uniform at all times. Requires all front
office employees to wear proper uniforms at all times.

18. Upholds the hotel's commitment to hospitality.

19. Prepare performance reports related to front office.

20. Maximize room revenue and occupancy by reviewing

status daily. Analyse rate variance, monitor credit report and
maintain close observation of daily house count. Monitor
selling status of house daily. Ie flash report, allowance etc.

21. Monitor high balance guest and take appropriate action.

22. Ensure implementation of all hotel policies and house

rules.

23. Operate all aspects of Front Office computer system,

including software maintenance, report generation and
analysis, and simple configuration changes.

24. Prepare revenue and occupancy forecasting.

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neupaneaksh@gmail.com

25. Ensure logging and delivery of all messages, packages,

and mail in a timely and professional manner.

26. Ensure that employees are, at all times, attentive,

friendly, helpful and courteous to all guests managers and
other employees.

27. Monitor all V.I.P 's special guests and requests.

28. Maintain required pars of all front office and stationary

supplies.

29. Review daily front office work and activity reports

generated by Night Audit.

30. Review Front office log book and Guest feedback forms
on a daily basis.

31. Maintain an organised and comprehensive filing system

with documentation of purchases, vouchering, schedules,
forecasts, reports and tracking logs.
Perform other duties as requested by management.
EDUCATION: Minimum two-year college degree. Must be able to
read, speak, write, and understand the primary language used in
the workplace.
EXPERIENCE:
Minimum of one year of hotel front desk supervisory experience,
experience handling cash, accounting procedures, and general
administrative tasks.

A Guide to Phone Etiquette: Definition, Tips and Impact

September 17, 2020

What is phone etiquette?
Phone etiquette is the way you use manners to represent yourself
and your business to customers via telephone communication. This
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includes the way you greet a customer, your body language, tone of
voice, word choice, listening skills and how you close a call.
Why is phone etiquette important?
Identifying the tools to achieve proper phone etiquette can help your
business to:

• Show professionalism: Whether you are a start-up or a well-

established business, you and your representatives know your
business best. Communicating your working knowledge to
your callers using telephone manners should establish you as
professionals worthy of repeat business dealings.

• Create a good first impression. Everyone deserves to be

treated with respect, and the initial phone call is your
businesses’ chance to show the customer how pleasant it is to
do business with you.

• Increase customer trust and loyalty. If your business has

face-to-face interactions with prospects who were initially just
callers, the trust between you and your potential customer
may grow, leading to them purchasing your goods or services
more frequently.

• Achieve high customer satisfaction ratings. When you meet

customers’ needs over the phone, they can accurately assume
that you will continue to meet their needs in person, creating a
well-rounded and consistent experience.

Elements of proper phone etiquette

To achieve excellent phone etiquette, you’ll need to apply the
following items:

• Friendly greetings
• Body language
• Tone of voice

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neupaneaksh@gmail.com

• Tact
• Active listening
• Appropriate closing

Friendly greetings
Answering an office phone properly requires a positive and cheerful
disposition. Allow the positivity to resonate in your voice, offer a
salutation, thank the customer for calling, introduce yourself and
your business by name and then extend your help. This gives the
customer a sense that you are warm, alert and pleased to help them
with their inquiries. People often mimic positivity and will probably
respond to your voice with the same enthusiasm you project.
Body language
Body language plays a major role in communication, both in-person
and on the telephone. When you speak on the phone, your body
language still communicates how you are feeling. For example,
when you smile and sit up straight, your voice is likely lighter and
easily translated by the client as cheerfulness. Body language, facial
expressions and gestures should remain professional while
speaking on the telephone.
Tone of voice
Adopt a confident tone of voice to limit interruptions and maintain a
professional engagement. You want the caller to know you are
taking the time to understand their questions, while also delivering
prompt service. The tone of your voice is an important factor in
proper phone call manners since a caller may form an opinion of
your business based on your attitude over the phone.
Tact
Unfortunately, there will be times when you must deliver potentially
upsetting information to a customer over the phone. Remaining
calm, while considering your word choice is the key to delivering
messages tactfully to your caller. Your aim should be to
communicate sensitive information truthfully, without offending
your customer. If you don’t have an answer for them, be sure to
offer them additional resources.

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neupaneaksh@gmail.com

Active listening
To achieve excellent phone etiquette, it is necessary to develop
active listening skills. Give the customer your undivided attention
by minimizing distractions. Taking notes and repeating requests
back to the caller lets them know that you care and are listening to
only their needs at that moment. Active listening will likely help you
respond to a customer’s requests appropriately.
Appropriate closing
Remember that closing a call can be just as important as the way
you begin one. Before saying goodbye to your customer, thank them
again and ask if you can assist them with anything else. Closing the
call this way assures your caller that your business provides
thorough customer service. Develop the habit of allowing the
customer to hang up first to minimize accidental hang-ups.
Tips to improve the quality of your phone calls
Here are 10 action steps for you to consider:

• Answer the call within the first two or three

rings. Providing a quick answer to customers’ phone calls
should let them know that their business is important to you.
When customers feel valued, they could be more likely to use
your business. If you cannot answer the phone because you
have clients in front of you, check the voicemail box and call
back as soon as you are able.

• Identify yourself and your business at the beginning of all

calls. Identifying yourself and your business at the beginning
of a call lets the customer know that they called the correct
place. When you identify yourself, it is likely that the customer
will feel more comfortable sharing the reason for their call and
they’ll know who to ask for next time they call.

• Let positivity resonate in your voice. Offering a positive tone

of voice builds rapport, as the receiver becomes more open to
sharing details about how you can best assist them with their
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neupaneaksh@gmail.com

needs. If possible, practice by recording your phone calls.

Listen to the call recording, notice your tone and make
corrections as necessary.

• Watch your body language. When you hear the phone ring, it
may be beneficial to immediately sit up straight and smile
before answering. Your voice will likely sound more friendly
and light to the customer if you practice changing your body
language.

• Minimize interruptions. Minimizing interruptions is possible,

even in offices with ample foot traffic. Take a moment before
answering a call to put aside items you were working on and
prepare to give your full attention to your caller. For instance,
try turning your back away from your crowded office when you
answer phone calls, this way other individuals in the room will
know you are unavailable to assist them while you are on the
telephone.

• Actively listen and take notes. When listening actively, it can

be beneficial to give periodic affirmations that you understand
the customer. For instance, you could say “I understand that
you would like to return your product” or “Thank you for
sharing your concerns.” Keeping a record of the conversation
by taking notes can ensure that you remember and respond to
all the customer’s concerns effectively.

• Be honest. Honesty is more important than trying to make

your customer happy. If there’s something you know you can’t
do for them, make them aware that you cannot perform the
task they are requesting. Deliver the honest message in a polite
and sympathetic way and your customer may still have a
positive experience with your business after the call is over,
even though you could not meet all of their needs. For
instance, you could say “I understand your concerns, but
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unfortunately we cannot approve your request.” If you know of

additional resources that the caller can use to meet their
needs, provide them before closing the call.

• Ask the caller before placing them on hold. You may need to
place a caller on hold to get more information for them. For
instance, you could say “Would you mind if I placed you on a
brief hold to better assist you?” Asking the caller before placing
them on hold allows them to know you are working on
assisting them to the best of your ability and it displays
professional courtesy.

• Minimize emotional reactions. Keep your tone of voice

positive. Find a break in the conversation and ask the caller
politely if you may place them on hold. While they are on hold,
take two deep breaths and remember to be objective and
empathetic when faced with a challenging caller.

• Make sure the callers’ needs are met before closing the
call. Making sure you meet the customer’s needs is usually
your goal when answering a phone call. The customer may
often forget about other questions they have during the
conversation. Asking if their needs are met or if they have
questions is a great opportunity to be proactive and provide
further clarification

How to Handle Customer Complaints

Complaints happen every day. When a customer complains, it is
usually for a good reason or genuine concern. They usually have
made a purchase that did not meet their expectation—a product,
service, or maybe a combination of the two. In the customer service
industry, we cannot avoid complaints. We must take care of the
customer by listening to the complaint, and resolving it, to ensure a
happy customer.
Fewer than half of unhappy customers will bring a complaint to
your attention. Those who never say anything will tell an average of
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11 other people about their bad experience. It is important that we

recognize complaints as opportunities, so we can sway these
averages, one resolved complaint at a time.
Customers want to know someone is listening and they are
understood, and they are hoping you are willing to take care of the
problem to their satisfaction. No matter what the situation is, when
a customer brings a complaint to your attention—even if they do it
in a less-than-desirable way—be thankful. As the old saying goes,
“We can’t fix it, if we don’t know it’s broken.” Moreover, we must
realize that improper handling of a customer complaint can be
costly to the business.
Here are five strategies that will help you handle a customer
complaint in a smooth and professional manner:
1. Stay calm. When a customer presents you with a complaint,
keep in mind that the issue is not personal; he or she is not
attacking you directly but rather the situation at hand.
“Winning” the confrontation accomplishes nothing. A person
who remains in control of his or her emotions deals from a
position of strength. While it is perfectly natural to get
defensive when attacked, choose to be the “professional” and
keep your cool.
2. Listen well. Let the irate customer blow off steam. Respond
with phrases such as, “Hmm,” “I see,” and “Tell me more.” Do
not interrupt. As the customer vents and sees you are not
reacting, he or she will begin to calm down. The customer
needs to get into a calm frame of mind before he or she can
hear your solution—or anything you say, for that matter.
3. Acknowledge the problem. Let the customer know you hear
what he or she is saying. If you or your company made a
mistake, admit it. If you did not make a mistake and it is a
misunderstanding, simply explain it to the customer: “I can
see how that would be incredibly frustrating for you.” You are
not necessarily agreeing with what the customer is saying, but
respecting how he or she perceives and feels about the
situation. An excellent phrase for opening up this particular
conversation would be, “So, if I understand you correctly…”
After the customer responds, follow up with, “So, if I
understand you correctly, we were to resolve the problem by
noon today. I can see how that must be frustrating for you.”
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Then be quiet. Usually, the customer will respond with “That’s

right” or “Exactly.” By repeating to the customer what you
think you heard, you lower his or her defenses, and win the
right to be heard.
4. Get the facts. After listening, take the initiative in the
conversation. Now that the customer has calmed down and
feels you have heard his or her side, begin asking questions.
Be careful not to speak scripted replies, but use this as an
opportunity to start a genuine conversation, building a
trusting relationship with your customer. To help you
understand the situation, get as many details as possible.
5. Offer a solution. This happens only after you have sufficient
details. One thing to keep in mind: Know what you can and
cannot do within your company’s guidelines. Making a
promise you cannot commit to will only set you back.
Remember, when offering a solution, be courteous and
respectful. Let the customer know you are willing to take
ownership of the issue, even if it was out of your control. Take
charge of the situation and let the customer know what you
are going to do to solve the problem.
A quick follow-up phone call a few days later to make sure
everything is OK is icing on the cake. Even a small gesture of
apology can turn this interaction from disaster to legendary. The
cost could be minimal—maybe a simple upgrade on the customer’s
next purchase or a small gift certificate. A simple gesture like this
could result in a future referral or a positive word-of-mouth
marketing recommendation.
When you resolve customer complaints successfully, you will better
understand their needs, retain them as loyal customers, and
enhance your business.

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